Aloe arborescens flower stem edibility

 

In addition to the edible uses for Aloe arborescens listed on the Plants for a Future website

 https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Aloe+arborescens

I find if you peel off the mature or immature flowers the remaining stem is edible, pleasantly crunchy, a bit like water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) in texture, free of fibers and only slightly bitter. I also regard the immature flowers as edible, like the flowers of several other Aloes, they are essentially tasteless. I think the mature flowers are non-toxic but they have small fiddly inedible bits that are annoying and have to be removed from the mouth by hand so only of survival value.  

Scientific concerns have been raised about long term heavy ingestion of parts of this plant so moderation wise.  

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6349368/

It is also worth noting the only edible use for it in its native Africa is sucking the nectar.  

Aloe arborescens is a fairly common "weed" here in New Zealand.  

Solar Dishes to Evaporate Wellington Municipal Wastewater

Wellington City Council are looking at 1.8 billion to upgrade our antiquated wastewater/sewerage system (1). 

More crippling rates for everyone.

I am not an expert in parabolic solar dishes but the technology is very simple in principle so I am going to make a suggestion.

I wonder if large solar dishes could be used on individual properties, or shared by neighborhoods, to evaporate wastewater by boiling it with concentrated sunlight, instead of spending billions on underground pipes. This would require very little power, mainly pumping of water, which could possibly be done with windmills.  

The water could be allowed to escape into the atmosphere, perhaps speeding up cloud formation, which may slow global warming due to increased cloud cover reflecting sunlight back into space. Or perhaps water could be captured and recycled locally as it will have been effectively distilled.  

Solid waste would have to be filtered somehow and/ or a composting toilet could be integrated with the system, the main concern here is how to get rid of the great volume of waste liquid most households produce.

I expect this would be a lot cheaper than new pipes if it could work. Perhaps individuals or streets that do it on their own initiative could get a rates reduction for reducing strain on the sewer system, or refuse to pay some of their rates. 

It seems likely WCC consultants have not considered this due to professional bias.

Feel free to comment/refute below, especially if you (think you) have expertise in the area. 

I have shared this idea with the Wellington City Council, no reply so far.

Reference.

1) https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/509817/almost-half-of-wellington-wastewater-pipes-poor-or-very-poor

Bromeliad flower stem as food

 

I find the peeled lower part of the immature flower stem of the epiphytic bromeliad Aechmea distichantha glaziovii is good to eat, white, free of fibers, of good texture and inoffensive in flavor, so I regard it as edible. A bit like bamboo shoots.

It seems to be the consensus online that the only known toxicity in bromeliads is the unripe fruit of pineapple. 

I have not tried this with any other bromeliad yet, but will. 

The only record I cold find of a similar use in a bromeliad is the young inflorescence of Bromelia pinquin, which is used as a vegetable in Puerto Rico (ref: Bromeliads: Edible & Therapeutic by Michael Spencer).

I find Aechmea distichantha glaziovii grows okay outside here in Wellington, New Zealand, but it does not seem to get hot enough for it to produce the edible fruit.  

I have tried many edible epiphytes in temperate Wellington, thinking they might be a good way to get a harvest from a niche not often used, (attached to) the sides of a house. 

I've tried orchids, cacti, bromeliads, Astelia, ferns, Vaccinium, although most survive and look good, so far most have produced little or no harvest, probably because most are really suited to warmer climates in the case of cacti and bromeliads and dry winters in the case of orchids. The occasional mucilaginous flowers of Epiphyllum probably the most productive so far.  Astelia "widow maker" kept growing too big and heavy for its supports, should have seen that coming. Summers were too dry for Vaccinium delavayi. It also seems improbable anything growing without much soil could be highly productive. I have not tried Monstera as an air plant, probably the epiphyte with the "best" or most commercial crop, which is reasonably productive in Wellington. I worry the roots could damage a house.